A teenager wakes up in a seedy hotel room. He has no memory of his name or his past. A man lies dying on the floor next to him. Someone starts pounding at the door.

He runs. He is chased.

While staying one step ahead of his pursuers, he begins to assemble the pieces of his life. His name is Axel. He is the victim of an amazing experiment – he has been given incredible powers – and he is not alone.

An organisation known only as The Agency has also modified other teenagers. Brodie is a master of the martial arts. Ebony can transmute one substance into another. Dan controls metals with his mind. Chad creates fire and ice from nothing.

They have been handed incredible powers to help the human race in times of crisis – and one of those times is now.

A terrorist organisation known as Typhoid has acquired Pegasus – a highly advanced missile, invisible to radar and conventional defence systems. They intend to fire it at an American city. Only this bunch of untried, untested teenage superheroes stands any chance of stopping the missile before it strikes its target.

Diary of a Teenage Superhero is a high octane thriller showing what happens when conventional teenagers with everyday problems are given powers beyond this world.

They have to learn to work together, but as Axel draws closer to his newfound friends, he remembers the words of the dying man in the hotel room.

Trust no-one.

He knows he can’t trust The Agency.

Can he even trust his newfound friends?

Diary of a Teenage Superhero (Teen Superheroes 1) reminds me of the UK television show Misfits. If you’ve never seen it check it out on by clicking the link, it’s on Hulu.

I like this story of teenage superheroes; they’re X-Men lite. Having them waking up with amnesia keeps from needing to dredge backstory for each character. That’s something, I find, that usually bogs down introductory novels.

For me it was an intense read because I was always expecting on of the lost heroes to betray the others which is the usual trope. Although the betrayer isn’t surprising, I’m not sure if the can really discount this character as defeated. Especially if he’s even half as bad as Dr. Ravana, this dude survived fire.

I also like how it setup the next novel but left everything noncommittal. As much as I didn’t like ‘The Agency’, they felt pervy, and I would have never trusted them. They did make them a team. That seems to on the step of becoming self-sustaining.

They transitioned from being X-Men into Avengers and I hope in the coming books they transition into the Justice League. That previous statement may only be understood by serious comic book fans but each group has subtle differences that make them distinct so I’m going to try and explain.

The X-Men are a ragtag group of teenagers that are trained and housed at a school they fight for justice and equality without government sanctions. The Avengers are a government sanction group of superheroes. The Justice League are superheroes with no affiliations, they fight for justice and stop evil at every turn.

I think it’s going to be interesting to see what Darrell Pitt does with this world. He setup stronger character with strength that haven’t quite figured out how to work together successfully. They barely managed to escape their boss battle. So they can only go up from here.

United Nations employee Gerry Lane traverses the world in a race against time to stop the Zombie pandemic that is toppling armies and governments, and threatening to destroy humanity itself.

World War Z is a crazy zombie ride. Even as entertainment you can gleam knowledge from this film that stars Brad Pitt. From beginning to end I was riveted by the story and the drama. He’s a man essentially with a gun to his families head. If he doesn’t help his family will be kicked of the safety of the boats.

This movie is based on the book of the same title by Max Brooks. I haven’t read the book but I think I will at some times. I watch zombie films like they’re preparation films. I know I sound crazy until I don’t. It’s easier to watch film like World War Z, Zombieland, and Dawn of the Living Dead than going to into the zombie head space for however long it takes me to read a novel, much longer than watching a two hour movie.

World War Z pulls no punches. It’s a harsher reality than we’ve seen before even in Dawn of the Dead. Even when you’ve found your way to safety you’re not safe. Its shows how survival takes hold and people start to lose their humanity. It shows that the vast majority of people are shit out of luck, and no amount of preparedness is going to save people.

This will be the world we live in where nowhere is safe. Not even behind fifty foot walls. Only the select few will be taken to safety. Everyone else its kill or be killed. When that first news report starts describing the symptoms of zombism don’t put your head in the sand and not believe. That’s the first mistake of people they don’t want to believe it can happen. It will and you should.

An Ancient Secret Has Risen. A World In Peril. Can This Evil Menace Be Stopped?

Two months after being infected with a strange retrovirus, Cassidy Jones continues to live a double life as she struggles to master her astonishing superpowers. School has become the only normal thing left in her life–except for tall, dark, and handsome Emery Phillips, who shadows her every move, ensuring her secret is safe. But when a sleepover at Catamount Mountain Zoo takes a menacing turn, the world hovers on the edge of disaster as Cassidy is drawn into another riveting and perilous mystery that threatens the planet.

Cassidy Jones and the Vulcan’s Gift (Cassidy Jones Adventure 2) was more exciting than the first one. I never put it down, reading it until morning. It hints at this series aging like a fine wine. This time around Cassidy is starting to revel in her new powers.

It’s interesting how this girl can be so confident in aspects of life and death, and then be so vulnerable in the rest of her life. This character so reminds me of a young Peter Parker. She’s just starting out and still making mistakes. They’re justifiable but still mistakes. I really hope that Elise Stokes brings those mistakes full circle. It will be interesting to see how she handles them in the future.

Cassidy Jones and the Vulcan’s Gift ends more cliffhangery than the last. There are more questions raised that were setup perfectly during the book. IT’s definitely going to make things interesting of Cassidy Jones and company.

I like how the romance is apparent to everyone but the two characters. When they realize their feelings it may very well be shocking to the mutant and the big brain, but not to the reader.

Cassidy Jones is your typical fourteen-year-old– that is, until a seemingly harmless accident in the laboratory of a world-renowned geneticist turns her world upside down.

Discovering incredible strength, speed, and enhanced physical senses that defy logic, Cassidy embarks on an action-packed adventure that has her fighting for answers…and for her very life.

Cassidy Jones and the Secret Formula (Cassidy Jones Adventure 1) was the just light read that I needed, to clear my head. I was a superhero story that reminded me of Hardy Boy mysteries that I read when I was younger. It’s uncomplicated and linear.

Cassidy Jones is your typical underdog that’s given the responsibility of power. Power that even at the end of this first novel, no one knows the limit to or what they will evolve into. This leaves the series very open to go anywhere.

Cassidy Jones and the Secret Formula (Cassidy Jones Adventure 1) is an easy read to introduce kids into themes about responsibility and superheroes. Cassidy Jones is superheroes lite. It’s funny because if it had more mature themes I would have said it was a Marvel product.

It’s not overly drama, quick-paced, and entertaining. It’s geared to the younger end of the young adult spectrum. But can be enjoyed by anyone looking for a light read. IT’s perfect for lounging by the beach or a day when the weather keeps you in.

Millions are dying from the invading hordes of Apokolips. Superman is forced to remove any remaining inner restraints and unleashes a truly terrifying display of power.

Injustice (Gods Among Us) 024 is a definitive comic coming on the heels of Man of Steel. Superman questions Flash, because he can think faster than anyone else on the planet, about their restraints costing more people their lives by trying to restrain instead of just killing the invaders. The question is the same as posed to Henry Cavill’s Superman and the conclusion is the same.

People keep complaining that it’s not in the spirit of Superman. Do you think Superman would have been there to stop the towers from falling? If he did, do you not think he would have done everything in his powers to find the masterminds behind it.

We expect a God raised among men to be above killing. Just because you can doesn’t mean you should. That only applies when there are consequences. If the world was threatened I would expect Superheroes to do whatever it takes to alleviate the threat by ANY MEANS NECESSARY.

I’m not saying either Superman was right. I AM saying they’re justified in their killings. It’s going to be interesting how this one concession changes the opinions of not only readers, but the superheroes and public in these storylines.

Scott Tyler is not like other teenagers. With a single thought he can alter reality around him. And he can stop anyone else from doing the same.

That’s why he’s so important to ARES, the secret government agency that regulates other kids like him: Shifters.

They’ve sent him on a mission. To track down the enigmatic Frank Anderson. An ex-Shifter who runs a project for unusual kids – as if the ability to change your every decision wasn’t unusual enough. But Anderson and the kids have a dark secret. One that Scott is determined to discover.

As his obsession with discovering the truth takes him further away from anyone he cares about, his grip on reality starts to weaken. Scott realises if he can’t control his choices, they’ll control him.

When I found this ARC I didn’t know what to expect. I certainly didn’t know it was a sequel. It had an interesting description that made me want to read it. After I finished Control (Shift 2), it left me with one word: WOW!

In the beginning of the novel, it felt slow with a lot of useless information filling the pages. It’s not! Kim Curran is setting her pieces before she hits the reader with her checkmate. The first half of the book is preamble to the second half. The exposition of the first half gives way to the second half’s action that’s exciting and nonstop, until an actual surprise ending.

You never see this ending coming. I already want a third book for this series. You don’t have to have read the first book, Shift, to get this book. But I’m definitely going to go back and read it. Especially for a certain character, I want to read about the previous version of him.

Having not read the first book, the concept of shifting was a heady idea to wrap around but it works. I came to understand the science of this fiction. Now it’s at war with my love of the Jumper series by Steven Gould. Because they are both such interesting concepts: opening self-contained wormhole through space and time and having the ability to change your decision.

The fact that Scott Tyler can remember these collapsing realities makes me an even more interesting character than David Rice. Anyone that loves Jumper will love the Shift Series: Shift and Control.

A young boy learns that he has extraordinary powers and is not of this Earth. As a young man, he journeys to discover where he came from and what he was sent here to do. But the hero in him must emerge if he is to save the world from annihilation and become the symbol of hope for all mankind. Written by Warner Bros. Pictures

Everyone who knows me, knows about the time I first saw Superman II, with a towel around my neck I asked my mother could I fly. If that same kid saw Man of Steel you would have leaped without asking. Trusting that he could defy gravity.

I the fan of Superman, balked at anyone other than an American playing Superman, but Henry Cavill proved me wrong. He really is a man of steel. Taking his licks and continuing to fight against the enumerable odds.

Zack Snyder did an excellent job of impressing the pain, loneliness, the longing that was promoted. He visualized the humanity of the character in a way that has never been portrayed. But I’m not sure if that was on the page or the way he shot it. I do know it worked.

Man of Steel has the chaos and destruction superbeings would leave in a city. It’s on a massive scale that should be appreciated in theatres.

DC Comics really should let Nolan & Goyer handle all their properties because in their capable hands they can do no wrong. The story is steeped in mythology that makes sense and has purpose. It’s accessible to fanboys and newcomers alike.

Man of Steel is the movie event of Summer 2013. If you a Superman, comic book, or a fan of just an amazing story go see it.